Blake! The hometown kid comes to Oklahoma City

So we all want Blake Griffin to put on a show, but for the Thunder to come out on top tonight in Oklahoma City Arena, right? A few monstrous dunks — preferably without posterizing someone we hold dear like Serge Ibaka — are what many in the home crowd wants to see, but ultimately no one wants to see Griffin have his way to the tune of a Clipper win over the Thunder. I think we can all agree on this.

But the first NBA game here for Griffin, an Oklahoma City native and former Oklahoma Sooners superstar, has been long-awaited around these parts. We’ve been as eager to see him downtown as any non-Thunder NBA player since the league arrived in OKC for good.

So let’s take a brief look at what, to me, are the three main story lines of interest for Griffin’s professional debut in his hometown.

1. This kind of homecoming has never before happened in Oklahoma City.

In a way, it’s pretty amazing that it only took three years of major professional sports in OKC for a homecoming like this to happen. A true hometown superstar making a regular-season appearance in a professional sport in central Oklahoma? Unthinkable as recently as six years ago.

First of all, there aren’t that many true sports superstars to come from Oklahoma to begin with. You can go all the way back to Jim Thorpe, but there certainly wasn’t anything big-time going on sports-wise in Oklahoma when he ruled. It had only been a state for a year when he first found sports superstardom in the 1912 Olympics, and there wasn’t anything here for him when he became a star in pro football and played pro baseball and basketball. There aren’t many people outside of Oklahoma who associate Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench with their home states. Most other big-time Oklahoma sports names, including half of the state’s six Heisman Trophy winners, were born in other states. Guys like Desmond Mason, who of course did play plenty of his professional career in Oklahoma City, only have Oklahoma connections because of where they played their college ball. It’s not hard to argue that the closest equivalent to Griffin in terms of a locally-born sports star who has found fame on the professional level is OU’s Sam Bradford, who finished his Sooner career only a year after Griffin.

But not even Bradford, who won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award (which Griffin will probably win in the NBA even if he didn’t play another game this season), has accumulated the national wattage that Griffin has. And, like Bradford, Griffin isn’t only from Oklahoma, but Oklahoma City. Born and raised. Not Edmond or Shawnee or Norman either, but Oklahoma City proper, the same name that graces the court on which Griffin will play tonight. There’s no fudging anything to call them hometown heroes.

So tonight is unlike anything Oklahoma City has ever experienced. With health and luck, Griffin will play another 20-30 regular-season games in OKC, but none of them will be like this. Tonight is a night to cherish if you care about Oklahoma City sports, and being a part of the standing ovation to welcome Griffin to his city will be something most of the 18,000+ in attendance tonight will not soon forget.

2. How far has the Thunder come since fans pined for Griffin during the inaugural season?

It really wasn’t long ago that a sizable contingent of Thunder fans spent the last half of the team’s first season in Oklahoma City half-seriously hoping for losses to increase the number of lottery balls before the draft. It was hard not to when the no-doubt future No. 1 pick was dominating the Big 12 for the state school 20 minutes down Interstate 35 from where the then-struggling Thunder was playing.

So forgive me for beating what is a long-dead horse around here, but it’s worth taking just a minute to note how different things are just two years later. The only thing left to ponder at this point in the team’s inaugural season was where the Thunder would finish in the lottery field and how big of a chance it had to land Griffin. Everyone knew OKC’s NBA future was pretty bright, but it was hard to see how quickly it was all going to happen at that time.

Now, the Thunder finds itself in position for home-court in the first round of the cutthroat-as-usual Western Conference and as close to the No. 2 seed as it is to No. 5. Sure, the stark contrast between the depths of the first season in town and Griffin’s first appearance in his hometown is helped a bit by the knee injury that cost him his real rookie season. But still. Things have changed. The only way the lottery enters the minds of Thunder fans now is to wonder when the team will be able to get lottery-protected draft picks it has traded for.

However … it remains hard to ignore the final point, to which this section provides a nice segue.

3. What if Oklahoma City HAD gotten Blake?!

Sigh.

I’m an ardent James Harden supporter. I maintain that he’ll prove more useful to the Thunder in seven-game playoff series than other players that OKC could have taken with the No. 3 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, namely Stephen Curry. Harden plays far better defense, is certainly no slouch offensively and could potentially truly blossom if he gets starter’s minutes.

But … man. What if the lottery balls had bounced a different way and the Thunder got its hometown boy? Griffin has the potential to be a truly transcendent star, and to this (extremely early) point in their careers, appears to be the only member of his draft class with true Hall of Fame potential. Can you imagine a starting lineup of Griffin-Ibaka-Durant-Thabo/Cook-Westbrook, with Jeff Green as a sixth man and the rest of the more-than-capable Thunder bench? I know you can imagine it, because I know we all have. It’s hard not to.

Alas, that’s never going to happen. If Griffin ever wears a Thunder uniform, it will probably be in the twilight of his career in one of those hometown swan songs that some players are lucky enough to get.

But take heart, OKC fans. The better team, and the team with the better future, still calls Oklahoma City home. Just like Griffin. He’ll come home to warm ovations for hopefully the next decade and a half. Here’s to rim-rattling dunks … and Clipper losses.

@DXLThe problem is that Thabeet really isn't buying cheap. 5 million for a backup who is no better than Aldrich is pointless. Getting a center that to date has shown no ability to contribute to even a losing team is pointless. Memphis brought him back up precisely because he was doing well. Somehow, despite having no center behind Gasol, Thabeet still can't get minutes or provide any meaningful contributions. I don't think it should be overlooked that he only gets minutes when Memphis is getting blown out or blowing out their opponent.

@justinI'm for signing Kendrick Perkins or Marc Gasol or Nene, to reasonable contracts at least. But my guess is those guys will resign to their teams, or sign with a high profile team like Miami. And there likely won't be any other attractive centers to sign in free agency.

How about the draft? Looks like there'll be about 1 true center prospect in the 2011 draft. And our pick will be way too late for him.

The realistic options seem to be: buy cheap on a guy like Thabeet or wait patiently for our bigs to develop. I'm fine with either option.

@KeithThabeet was very good in his short stint in the D-league. Memphis hasn't put the same resources into its affiliate that OKC has, so they didn't really trust the development process. They should have left him in the D-league longer to develop his offensive skills and knowledge.

@DXLWould I be shocked if he turned into a bench player? Not really. Would I be shocked if he ever started in this league? Yes, very much so. Maybe those guys do cost 5 million (the good ones), but we already have Cole to fill that backup role.

And back to Darko, he is 3rd in blocks but what does that mean? Minny is still a terrible defensive team. They still give up more than their fair share of points in the paint. Even on-off court production says his defense has almost no impact. By counterpart production, Darko doesn't even hold his opponent down much. Blocks are one of the most overrated stats in the NBA. Thabeet having a high block rate (to go right along with his high foul rate) doesn't mean he really has much to contribute to a team offense of defense.

@KeithPerfect example: Milicic is 3rd in the NBA in blocks this season. Big guys take longer to develop. Now I'm not advocating signing Thabeet to Milicic's 4 year, 20 million dollar contract, but I think 1 year for 5 million is a reasonable bet.

Would it really shock you if Thabeet turned it around and become a solid NBA back-up center? Those guys cost at least 5 million a year, sometimes more.

And Thabeet has shown flashes. His block rate per minute is incredible.

I think the situation is very different now than it was a couple years ago. And, as Keith said, just because you might not use the cap space on a free agent, doesn't mean you blow it on a longshot like Thabeet.

@justinI believe Nenad Krstic for the mid-level equivalent, when OKC was desperate for a center, and two veteran point guards, Ollie and Ivey, for around the minimum, are Presti's only free agent acquisitions in 3 seasons. I just don't think that's where he's going to use cap space. It's not in his conservative style.

Even with Thabeet's salary there would only be $45 million on the books next season, barely above the current NBA-mandated minimum team salary of $43 million. Renounce Jeff Green and there's still plenty of cap space in the very, very unlikely possiblity a large free agent contract needs to be signed.

@DXL1) A huge part of Thabeet's game in college was system (funneling everyone towards him) and the lack of a defensive 3 second violation (he just say in the lane all game). Thabeet certainly has a lot of talent (size), but very very little IQ or passion for the game.

2) He still wouldn't play. He didn't seem to learn anything in Memphis' D-League affiliate, away from the "thugs," so why would he learn anything in Tulsa, splitting time with other project centers?

3) Even Deandre Jordan showed flashes of his talent early. What has Thabeet shown?

4) 5 million is NOT cheap for a player that will never even see the court. Just because a player is young doesn't mean he is any good. Darko was a 2nd overall pick too, and he had a lot more skill than Thabeet does. He's not worth 5 million right now. Just because the team may not be looking at FA doesn't mean the cap space is worthless, or should be thrown at the first nobody on the market.

Sam Presti buys when there's blood in the street. Thabeet and Darrell Arthur for Mo Pete works in the trade machine and is great value for OKC. It makes sense:

1) Thabeet was a dominant defensive player in college, 2 time Big East defensive player of the year. Those skills and that size are still there. OKC appreciates defense.

2) That Memphis team is a little thuggish. Zach Randolph and OJ Mayo are not good mentors! Thabeet's always been considered a good guy, I think he needs a chance on a new team with better character. I think he'd bond with another African player like Ibaka.

3) Centers take forever to develop. Look what's slowly happening with DeAndre Jordan. That guy was maligned by Clippers fans his first two years.

4) What other young center is available for this cheap a price? He's only signed for 5 million next year. OKC has plenty of cap space next year and no plans to use it on a free agent.

I'd also take Fesenko, Javale McGee and just about any other young big man with potential. Half of this board wants Marcus Camby--that would be a very impatient move in my view. Old guys do not make sense on this team.

Jax Raging Bile Duct :I just want to mention again that Chad Ford said that the two organizations that don’t feed him information are the Spurs and the Thunder – and that of the two of them the Spurs are just mum, but the Thunder are mum and what little they do put out there usually turns out to be misinformation.I’m chalking this Thabeet talk up to posturing.And if it isn’t I might just turn in my season tickets.

I'm confused. I don't have a perfect memory of our cap situation, so I can only go by Shamsports. But assuming we pick up the option on everyone (we do need depth after all), and do not extend offers to Green or Cook, then we're at $39.7M

Add $10M for Green, $5.1M for Thabeet and $1M for our draft pick and we're at $55.8M

How do we have an additional $12M to spend? On who? Assuming the cap stays the same next year as this year (which seems like a big assumption), we have ~$2.2M to spend before hitting the cap. You can sign free agents beyond that amount w/o exceptions. None of which are $10M.

I just want to mention again that Chad Ford said that the two organizations that don't feed him information are the Spurs and the Thunder - and that of the two of them the Spurs are just mum, but the Thunder are mum and what little they do put out there usually turns out to be misinformation.

@justinHe could waive his ETO clause as well, though an extension makes more sense. The major difference I see is that Nene doesn't stand to lose much, if any, in a new CBA. He's not a max contract player, but he's better than the mid-level or complete non-star talents. He's not going to get more in FA, but I don't see him getting less either.

Why do you hate so much? ;-)Thabeet is a low risk player. If he develops the way Serge did: let's face the Lakers just for fun.If not: send him to Tulsa next year and let his 5 mio contract expire. No big deal. His contract won't hurt anyone.

I don't see why on Earth we would trade for Thabeet when we're already letting Cole rot on the bench. I think its more likely that Cole becomes an NBA player than Thabeet, though I can accept that Thabeet probably has a higher ceiling.

Nene would benefit the same way Melo has, by agreeing to an extension under the current CBA and being traded. I think that's the only way he can be traded after the trade deadline, and before the draft.